GLAD TO BE GONE
End of an Era as Wagner demolishes 100-year-old 'eyesore'
IT’S official – the Gladstone Hotel is no more.
The distinctive pub in the Toowoomba CBD was torn down yesterday morning to eventually make way for a 102-room hotel and retail precinct.
The demolition attracted ex-patrons to stop by and pay tribute.
ONE of the most famous pubs in Toowoomba’s CBD is officially no more, with the old Gladstone Hotel building demolished yesterday.
Onlookers and former patrons watched from Ruthven St and in nearby buildings as crews pulled down the structure to make way for a massive short-term accommodation, hospitality and retail precinct.
The new project is being organised by Kenneth Wagner, who said that the bulk of the work would be completed today.
“We’ve still got a long way to go, but it’s a milestone. It’s a 100-year-old pub, and a bit of an eyesore in the CBD,” he said.
“We’ve been on that site working since Wednesday.
“We’ll have the façade and demolitions finished today, and the site cleaned up within the next week.”
Resident Danny Murphy, who was a regular patron of the pub before he moved away, came down to take photos of the demolition as a reminder.
“I’ve only just moved up to Toowoomba this year and I thought that when I’d get here I’d see the Gladstone again, but when I did it was already closed up,” he said.
“It’s very sad – I thought I’d come down and take some photos of it.”
Mr Wagner’s 102-room hotel and tavern project was hit with even more conditions from the Toowoomba Regional Council on Wednesday in a special meeting.